Taylor achieved his breakthrough in 1970 with the No. 3 single "Fire and Rain" and had his first No. 1 hit the following year with "You've Got a Friend", a recording of Carole King's classic song. His 1976 Greatest Hits album was certified Diamond and has sold 12 million US copies. Following his 1977 album, JT, he has retained a large audience over the decades. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies. He enjoyed a resurgence in chart performance during the late 1990s and 2000s, when he recorded some of his most-awarded work (including Hourglass, October Road, and Covers). He achieved his first number-one album in the US in 2015 with his recording Before This World.
He is known for his popular covers of other people's songs, such as "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the aforementioned "You've Got A Friend", as well as originals such as "Fire and Rain".
Taylor's four siblings (Alex, Livingston, Hugh, and Kate) have also been musicians with recorded albums. Livingston is still an active musician; Kate was active in the 1970s but did not record another album until 2003; Hugh operates a bed-and-breakfast with his wife, The Outermost Inn in Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard; and Alex died in 1993 on James's birthday.
After his divorce from Carly Simon in 1983, Taylor married actress Kathryn Walker on December 14, 1985 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. She had helped him get off heroin, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.
On February 18, 2001, at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston, Taylor wed for the third time, marrying Caroline ("Kim") Smedvig, the director of public relations and marketing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[81] They had begun dating in 1995, when they met as he appeared with John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Part of their relationship was worked into the album October Road, on the song "On the 4th of July". The couple reside in the town of Washington, Massachusetts, with their twin boys, Rufus and Henry, born in April 2001. Henry shares James' intrest and talents.
Sally and Ben, his children with Carly Simon, have also embarked on musical careers. After they were born, Taylor moved with his family to Lenox, Massachusetts.
Daddy's All Gone
James Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought I'd call you up anyway.
Just to try to show you the way that
I feel today, oh, I miss you, baby.
I sure am on the road.
I don't need to say much more.
Just the same old well-known stranger that I was before.
It seems like yesterday, now.
Daddy's all gone, only halfway home.
He's holding on to the telephone
saying, please, don't let the show go on.
There's a bus every other hour,
There's even the midnight train.
But that don't leave me the power to see your face again.
It's not that simple.
You see, there's a room full of smiling faces, There's a man standing by the door.
Says it's time to change our places
And get down on the floor and kill 'em, baby.
Daddy's all gone, he's just halfway home.
He's holding on to the microphone singing,
Please, don't make the show go on.
The lyrics of James Taylor's "Daddy's All Gone" tell a story of a man who is feeling lonely and missing his loved one. He doesn't have much to say but decides to call anyway, just to express his feelings. The singer is on the road, but the distance between him and his partner makes him feel like a "well-known stranger." He reminisces about the past, which seems like yesterday.
The result is a somber tune with mellow strains and poignant lyrics. The song is about the pain of separation and the feeling of being stuck in-between when one wants to return but is unable to. The lines "Daddy's all gone, only halfway home. He's holding on to the telephone, saying please don't let the show go on" conveys the feeling of separation from the loved one and the sense of loneliness that permeates the song.
Through the use of vivid imagery and a soulful delivery, James Taylor is able to capture the essence of the human condition - the longing for companionship and the pain of separation.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't have much to say.
I don't have much to talk about.
Thought I'd call you up anyway.
Nevertheless, I decided to give you a call.
Just to try to show you the way that I feel today, oh, I miss you, baby.
I want to express how I'm feeling; I miss you so much, sweetheart.
I sure am on the road.
I'm currently travelling.
I don't need to say much more.
There's nothing more to say.
Just the same old well-known stranger that I was before.
I remain the familiar but unknown person that I've always been.
It seems like yesterday, now.
It feels like it was just yesterday.
Daddy's all gone, only halfway home.
Father's left but not yet home.
He's holding on to the telephone saying, please, don't let the show go on.
He's on the phone, asking not to continue with something.
There's a bus every other hour, there's even the midnight train.
Transportation options are available.
But that don't leave me the power to see your face again.
However, it doesn't guarantee I'll see you again.
It's not that simple.
It's not easy to explain or understand.
You see, there's a room full of smiling faces, There's a man standing by the door.
A place or situation filled with happy people and monitored by someone.
Says it's time to change our places, And get down on the floor and kill 'em, baby.
The person in charge asks to switch positions and attack.
Daddy's all gone, he's just halfway home.
Father's missing, not yet back.
He's holding on to the microphone singing, please, don't make the show go on.
He's holding the microphone and asking to stop the event.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheCharlieSmithChannel
An absolute masterclass in live performance and sound engineering. David Lasley and Arnold McCuller are surely the greatest male backing vocalist duo of all time. It's unbelievably stunning and I'm so grateful that this exists. Thanks for the music, James. My life has been forever enriched by it.
@Rontheman123
Charlie Smith you said best!
@RogerBiwandu
Can't say better, what a duo, two Rolls Royce backing the GREAT JT !!!
@jamib.7148
Agree 100%
@samsticka
David Lasley passed away a few days ago.
@TheCharlieSmithChannel
@Sam Sticka yes I saw. Very sad indeed 😔. Rest in peace good sir
@janlipski5215
Superb JT. Surrounded by soo much talent. Great live album in all respects.
@morethanwords
Sublime! One of the joys of JT is how he surrounds himself with other superb musicians.
@paradoxward2533
truly one of the greatest American singer songwriters of all time. wowl
@salvadorsepulveda6415
One of my all time favorites 😍